Dianthus caryophyllus cultivar Wesdired.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of potted Carnation plant, botanically known as Dianthus caryophyllus and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Wesdiredxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Carnation cultivars having compact plant habit, continuous flowering, and attractive flower coloration.
The new Carnation originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands, of two unidentified proprietary seedling selections of Dianthus caryophyllus, not patented. The new Carnation was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands in May, 1999. The selection of this plant was based on its compact plant habit and attractive flower coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Carnation by cuttings propagated in a controlled environment in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands, since the summer of 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Carnation are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Wesdired has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Wesdiredxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Wesdiredxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact, upright and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely basal branching habit.
3. Strong lateral branches.
4. Dark green-colored foliage.
5. Continuous flowering habit during the flowering season.
6. Bright red-colored flowers.
Compared to plants of the female parent, plants of the new Carnation are more compact, have stronger lateral branches and brighter flower color. Compared to plants of the male parent, plants of the new Carnation are more vigorous and differ in flower color.
Plants of the new Carnation can be compared to plants of the cultivar Diogenes, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in ""s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands, plants of the new Carnation and the cultivar Diogenes differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Carnation had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Diogenes.
2. Flowers of plants of the new Carnation were bright red in color whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Diogenes were pink in color.